Syria is preparing to convert Mezzeh military airport for limited civilian use. The planned project will focus on private and executive aviation.
According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, the project will complement Damascus International Airport. Officials have already started removing rubble and upgrading infrastructure at the site.
The plan could attract investment and support the redevelopment of state assets. However, the project also raises concerns over Syria’s unresolved wartime legacy.
Mezzeh has a dark history linked to the rule of Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad. The airport housed important branches of Air Force Intelligence.
The facility also contained detention sites used against suspected government opponents. Detainees were reportedly tortured, executed, or subjected to enforced disappearance.
New documents obtained by the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre provide further details. The documents were shared exclusively with Reuters.
They reportedly show that senior military officials approved Mezzeh in 2012 for executions. The executions involved detainees sentenced to death by military field courts.
Officials considered moving executions from Sednaya prison to Mezzeh. Documents described the airport as a secure compound near Damascus.
Later correspondence referred to a firing range and a hangar near the runway. Officials also ordered construction work and requested materials for executions.
The documents reportedly instructed authorities to conduct the work under strict secrecy. They further highlight Mezzeh’s role in the Assad-era security system.
A 2025 investigation by the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre identified two suspected grave sites. The sites are reportedly linked to people who died while detained at Mezzeh.
The organisation said more than 1,150 detainees died at the facility. Some reportedly died through executions, while others suffered torture or maltreatment.
The group warned authorities about the suspected graves in July 2025. It urged officials to protect the locations from construction or excavation.
The organisation sent another letter on September 8 after redevelopment plans emerged. It warned that construction could damage human remains and important evidence.
The planned development has also triggered concerns over property ownership. Land records indicate that the airport occupies around 2.76 square kilometres.
The land reportedly belonged to hundreds of private citizens. Residents claim their property was expropriated without proper compensation under previous governments.
Protests were held in Moadamiya after the redevelopment plans were announced. Demonstrators said they supported investment but wanted their property rights recognised.
The private airport project therefore faces both historical and legal challenges. Authorities must address concerns about missing persons, suspected graves, and disputed land ownership.
SANA reported that refurbishment would consider legal and social issues. However, officials did not specifically mention the suspected graves or land claims.
The project remains an important test for Syria’s new authorities. Its progress could show how the government balances economic development with unresolved rights issues.
The planned private airport could support investment and executive aviation in Damascus. However, questions surrounding the site’s past and ownership remain unresolved.
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